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Posted by: | Posted on: December 7, 2024

How Raw Honey Could Save Your Microbiome (and Travel Back In Time)

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Reproduced from original article:
https://greenmedinfo.com/blog/could-eating-honey-be-form-microbial-time-travel-1
Posted on: Wednesday, November 6th 2024 at 5:00 pm

Written By: Sayer Ji, Founder
This article is copyrighted by GreenMedInfo LLC, 2024
Could Eating Honey Be A Form of Microbial Time Travel?

Did you know that there are billions of years of biological information encoded within your cells, and that depending on what you do or do not eat, the information is activated or remains latent?

It is a biological fact that the distant past is embedded within the present. No one could have described this more aptly and tangibly than Thich Nhat Han when he said:

If you look deeply into the palm of your hand, you will see your parents and all generations of your ancestors. All of them are alive in this moment. Each is present in your body. You are the continuation of each of these people.”

In fact, each cell in your body, along with all the cells in all living creatures on the planet today, derive from a last universal common ancestor (LUCA) estimated to have lived some 3.5 to 3.8 billion years ago in the primordial ocean. While this may strike the reader as an unusual concept, even Charles Darwin acknowledged this phenomenon in Origin of Species (1859)1:

“Therefore I should infer from analogy that probably all the organic beings which have ever lived on this earth have descended from some one primordial form, into which life was first breathed.”

The germline cells within our bodies (sperm and ovum) represent a quasi-immortal and unbroken biological thread tying us all back, through an almost infinite number of cell replications, to LUCA. These germline cells represent, against all odds, the resilience of biological systems to persist through incalculably vast stretches of time and innumerable vectors of adversity. They are “deathless” relative to somatic cells in that their biological information has been passed down from generation to generation for billions of years without interruption, and that will continue to be passed forward within the successfully conceived progeny of all the species inhabiting this planet today.

Hand Microbes Time Travel

And so, biological entities are unique insofar as they inhabit the present while containing within themselves information stretching so far back in the distant past as to approach geologic time scales.

The Microbial Basis for Human Identity

Before we delve into nutrition as a form of “microbial time travel,” we must first provide context by taking a brief look at how our species’ self-definition has been completely transformed by the discovery that we are at least as much “germs” as we are “human.”

We now know that we are more microbial than human. Constituted by at least 10 times more bacterial, viral, and fungal cells than actual human cells, we are more accurately described (at least in biological terms) as a “meta-organism” than a hermetically-sealed off body isolated from outside life.

Perhaps even more profound is the fact that the total genetic information in our bodies is about 99% microbial in origin, with many of these microbes performing life-sustaining functions for digestion, immunity, and even cognition. Even when explore only the “private” genetic contribution of our cells, we find that the human genome is about 10% viral (retroviral) in origin, and that “our” mitochondria are actually “alien” in origin: somewhere around 1.5 billion years ago an ancient bacteria entered into symbiotic relationship with our cells to perform both oxygen-detoxifying and energy-producing functions by losing their independence and becoming our mitochondria. [Note: Learn more about the implications of the microbial basis for human identity in the article: “How The Microbiome Destroyed the Ego, Vaccine Policy, and Patriarchy.”]

When we look at ourselves through this microbial lens, where we “end” and the living and breathing environment “begins” is no longer as clear as the boundary of our skin. What we eat or expose ourselves chemically, for instance, not only becomes of crucial significance in determining the state of our health and disease risk, but to our very identity. This information is beginning to affect the way we look at ourselves as a species in evolutionary terms. In fact, the hologenome theory of evolution states that we are a “holobiont,” a host whose fate is and always was inseparably bound to all its symbiotic microbes. As with classical evolutionary theory on our how genes evolve, selective pressures from the environment have shaped the types and numbers of microbes that now form the basis for both our health and disease susceptibility. And what are some of the most important “selective pressures” that have gone into creating our holobiont selves over the course of unimaginably vast swaths of time? Dietary, environmental, and cultural ones, of course.

When Hippocrates said “we are what we eat,” this was true not only in molecular terms, i.e. the food we eat produces molecular building blocks from which our bodies are constructed, but also in microbial terms, i.e., the microbes we expose ourselves to and cultivate through nutrition affect and/or permanently alter our holobiont selves. Which leads us to the topic of honey and “microbial time travel.”

Honey, Would You Please Pass The Genome?

While we often think of our “cave man” ancestors as being shaped primarily by their “meat-based” diet, and the harnessing of fire for cooking, acquiring and eating honey may have been an equally crucial dietary determinant in our evolutionary trajectory as well. According to one researcher, Alyssa Crittendeyn, PhD, honey helped make us human:

It appears that the human sweet tooth has a long history in human evolution. New research proposes that honey may have been important in human evolution. Upper Paleolithic (8,000 – 40,000 years ago) rock art from all around the world depicts images of early humans collecting honey. The images range from figures climbing ladders to access hives residing high in trees to figures smoking out hives filled with honeycomb. Honey and bee larvae are important foods consumed by many populations of hunters and gatherers worldwide. Foragers in Latin America, Asia, Australia, and Africa include honey and bee larvae as major components of their diet. The Hadza hunter-gatherers of Tanzania, the population with whom I work, even list honey as their number one preferred food item!”

So, while our ancestors may have consumed honey, what does it have to do with our microbial identity?

Honey actually contains a range of beneficial microbes contributed by bees and the plants they forage, including lactic-acid producing bacteria (Lactobacilli), and when eaten raw, may contribute health-promoting strains to our bodies. These bacteria have been identified as indispensable to the immunity of the individuals and the hive as a whole, as well as in affecting the behavior of the different types of bees that inhabit these complex colonies. Considering the possibility of our ancient co-evolutionary relationship with honey, is it possible that our own immune systems and microbial populations share dependency on honey-based microbes?

There is no doubt that in a day and age where the previously timeless and unbroken chain of microbial custody between vaginally birthed and exclusively breastfed offspring has been profoundly disrupted, our inner microbial terrain has become completely ravaged. Add to this the daily barrage of food-like but synthetic dietary inputs, along with a battery of antimicrobial toxicants unleashed by the industrial revolution and now festering in the post-industrial chemical soup we are all now immersed in, the intimate link between the human and microbial sides of the holobiont’s multiplicitous identity has all but become irreparably severed. Could honey help heal these wounds? Could eating ancestral foods infused with equally ancient symbiotic bacteria help us recover, and “travel back” in biological time to a far more stable state of health? Could these bacteria and their metabolic byproducts provide epigenetically meaningful information to regulate the expression of our own genome? Could this also explain why honey has been identified to have at least 100 health benefits?  

An Age Old Relationship

A fascinating study published in PLoS in 2012 might help answer this question. Titled, “Symbionts as major modulators of insect health: lactic acid bacteria and honeybees“, it characterized the diverse and ancient lactic acid bacteria populations of microbiota within the honey crop of honeybees and related species. Amazingly, they discovered species from the Lactobacillus and Bifobacterium genera in these bees that suggest a 80,000,000 year or older history of association. This means that honeybees and their honey may contain bacteria that humans may have maintained contact with and ingested throughout the entire course of their evolution as foragers of honey, which would also include our pre-human predecessors. Within the confines of their bodies, these insects may have provided an environment for these ancient symbiotic bacteria to survive intact for millions of years, enabling animals (like humans) to periodically replenish their microbiomes through consuming bee products like honey infused with them.

Since food is not just “fuel” or “building blocks” for the body, but informational, containing “epigenetic inheritance systems” as real and valid to the expression of our DNA as the primary nucleotide sequences in our genome, this discovery has profound implications. For those whose microbial heritage has been decimated and/or supplanted with genetically altered (via recombinant or chemical induction) food stuffs, eating real, wild-harvested raw honey might re-infuse the body with information and microbes that not only have important health-promoting but are indispensable for the informational integrity of our species identity.

This is, of course, not limited to honey. Technically, everything we eat (or do not eat) will affect the trajectory of our health, both individually, and as a species. For example, the present agricultural system carpet-bombs monocultured land with biocides often destroying the profound microbial biodiversity vital to gene-regulatory information and proxy physiological capabilities, i.e. the production of enzymes and anti-microbial factors that our genome itself does not possess.  This is why seeming “superstitious” farming practices such as taking wild-soil (from old growth systems) and using it as inoculant in newer farming land may be so effective at producing vitally nourishing food. These old-growth microbial communities, perhaps a byproduct of millions of years of coevolution, are capable of contributing a wide range of biotransformed soil metabolites for the plant’s nutritional needs, as well as infusing the edible plants themselves with strains of bacteria, fungi, and even viruses, important to our own health.

The American herbalist Paul Schulick once aptly named the interstitial layer of microbial communities within the soil and our gut a “life bridge.” This bridge can be visualized both “spatially” as a physiological bridge which connects our bodies via microbes directly to the Earth, forming an inseparable whole (the holobiont), and temporally, by bridging the gap between the present and the ancient past.

One thing is for sure, the more we explore the complexity of human physiology and optimal health, the more mysterious and amazing life appears to be.

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References

1 Darwin, C. (1859), The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, John Murray, p. 490

Sayer Ji

Sayer Ji is founder of Greenmedinfo.com, author of international best-seller REGENERATE: Unlocking Your Body’s Radical Resilience through the New Biology, co-founder of Stand for Health Freedom (501c4), and UNITE.live, a global, multi-media platform for conscious creators and their communities.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of GreenMedInfo or its staff.

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Posted by: | Posted on: September 3, 2024

Longevity Expert Shares Clues About Drivers of Chronic Disease


Reproduced from original article:
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2024/09/01/drivers-of-chronic-disease.aspx

Analysis by Dr. Joseph Mercola     September 01, 2024

STORY AT-A-GLANCE

  • Dr. Ahvie Herskowitz, a former UCSF professor, treats complex health issues by addressing root causes. He believes microbiome problems and leaky gut are fundamental to many diseases, including cancer and autoimmune disorders
  • Chronic diseases often result from accumulated toxicities and nutritional deficiencies. Herskowitz estimates 80% to 90% of Americans have metabolic syndrome, largely due to processed foods and environmental toxins
  • “Nuisance symptoms” like toenail fungus or indigestion may indicate underlying health issues. Herskowitz found Alzheimer’s patients had 2.5 times more such symptoms compared to healthy individuals
  • To measure biological age, Herskowitz uses tests for oxidative stress, chronic immune function, mitochondrial function, and senescent cells. He also emphasizes the importance of monitoring serum ferritin levels
  • Herskowitz describes an innovative cancer test that analyzes tumor genomics to guide chemotherapy decisions. He believes this approach could revolutionize cancer treatment in the United States

I recently interviewed Dr. Ahvie Herskowitz, former clinical professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, and founder of Anatara Medicine, a multidisciplinary integrative center in San Francisco.1 Herskowitz, an internist, has a deep foundational knowledge and science background that’s ideal for treating complicated health care cases.

We may be collaborating on a project in the future, but in the meantime at his center, they’re using advanced techniques to help people restore their health, including strategies for longevity and treatments for very ill patients, including those with autoimmunity, gut problems, cancer and more.

Microbiome Issues, Leaky Gut Causing Failure to Thrive

Herskowitz treats illness by looking at the foundational causes of disease. We discussed that a leading cause of death is, in my view, endotoxemia resulting in septic shock. This occurs when you secrete endotoxin from facultative anaerobes, otherwise called oxygen-tolerant bacteria, which shouldn’t be in your gut.

These pathogenic bacteria secrete a very virulent form of endotoxin, also known as lipopolysaccharides (LPS), which can cause inflammation if they translocate across the compromised gut barrier into the systemic circulation. Leaky gut, or a disturbed microbiome, is therefore one of the foundational causes of all disease.

Herskowitz explains, “I think that everyone that’s doing poorly and failing to thrive has a biome issue and a leaky gut issue, almost 100% … And in the standard allopathic intensive care units, it’s not considered a foundational issue.” When Herskowitz treats cancer patients, he says, they’re often in a state of failure to thrive.

“They’ve gotten so burdened by so many different layers of toxicity, that their system cannot keep up anymore enough,” he says. “And … that’s eventually due to mitochondrial failure throughout the body.”

Patients Overwhelmed by Toxicity and Nutritionally Depleted

Chronic diseases often result due to a buildup of toxicities and a lack nutrition and healing in the body to compensate for them. “All these toxicities affect every cell of the body simultaneously,” Herskowitz says.

“So, we all have relative strengths and weaknesses. And that comes up as to what organ is going to be the most involved. But we all have to almost decide whether we’re going to release these toxins on a day-to-day basis, otherwise our concept of longevity is going to be badly estimated.”

Herskowitz estimates that 80% to 90% of the U.S. population has metabolic syndrome, which increases the risk of heart disease, stroke and Type 2 diabetes. Obesity is another epidemic. Both are due to several factors, including toxicity that started more than 50 years ago as the food supply became increasingly processed. Herskowitz explains:

“This is where you get to the concept of an infinite number of toxicities, feeding a system that only has a finite way of cellular responses … it’s the seed oils [containing] linoleic acid, it’s the ultraprocessed foods and snacks. So, when you go to a general store today …

The overwhelming majority of the food that’s sold there is not to be for human consumption … and then the concept of our farming system has evolved toward efficiency … listen, industry is not our friend. It’s not our partner … their job is to sell more stuff, and to do so in an efficient way.

… I watched it over 45 years, I mean, ‘70s, ‘80s, 90s, this stuff is getting worse. Now the most difficult group to get an appointment with in the hospital is not the cardiology department, because it’s usually the largest department, but it’s endocrine and rheumatology, neurology.”

In other words, exposure to ultraprocessed foods and other toxicities is wreaking havoc in the body, leading to widespread chronic disease. “It causes havoc within the communications network, so that hormones go awry, inflammation goes awry and the detoxification system is overwhelmed,” Herskowitz explains.

“This leads to all the different disorders … it’s a straightforward thing … you have this nutrient depletion, which obviously … you’re more susceptible to everything. And then each of us is reaching our limit, so to speak.”

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Why You Should Pay Attention to ‘Nuisance Symptoms’

Herskowitz often sees patients when they’re very ill — but they don’t start out this way. He often looks back into their medical records over 25 years to see their past medical history. People who end up with serious diseases like Alzheimer’s disease often have far more “nuisance symptoms” over the years. This includes symptoms such as toenail fungus, indigestion, occasional diarrhea, hyperactivity or even high blood pressure.

In Herskowitz’s experience, his Alzheimer’s patients had 2.5 times more nuisance symptoms compared to a control group that didn’t have Alzheimer’s. “It’s consistent with this toxicity type of concept,” he says. “When you’re toxic, you have all these little things going on, and you don’t pay attention to them, because they’re not severe.”

However, they’re clues that something is off balance in your body, which can likely be addressed in the early stages. Unfortunately, most physicians aren’t looking for these types of systemic problems.

Tests to Measure How Old You Really Are

One of the challenges facing longevity medicine is figuring out what to measure in order to get an idea of how old you really are — meaning your biological age, which is how well your body is functioning compared to your chronological age, the actual number of years you’ve been alive. Biological age can be younger or older than your chronological age depending on your lifestyle, environmental factors and genetics.

Herskowitz believes oxidative stress is one useful measure to show where you are in a given moment in time over time. At his center, they use a urine test called 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) as a biomarker for oxidative damage and they use the lipid peroxides as a marker. He also uses tests to measure chronic immune function, mitochondrial function and senescent cells.

Senescent cells are cells that have stopped dividing and entered a state of permanent growth arrest without undergoing cell death. These cells can no longer replicate, but they remain metabolically active.

Senescence is a natural part of the cellular lifecycle and serves as a mechanism to prevent the proliferation of damaged cells, which can lead to cancer. However, the accumulation of senescent cells over time can contribute to aging and various age-related diseases. According to Herskowitz:

“[We look for] concepts of the subtlety of how the immune system is being suppressed. And it’s not the current CBC [complete blood count]. It’s more on the chronic side. So how does it deal with biological toxins? And that’s more a journey into the complement immune cascade, which deals with chronic infection, chronic biological toxins and how to deal with it.

So, measures of complement cascades for autoimmunity as well. And then probably the biggest one, other than mitochondrial function and oxidative stress, to me is if we can measure the number of senescent cells we have in our body at any time. The higher it is, the worse you’re doing.”

Herskowitz also uses markers of metabolic pathways that measure glucose metabolism. “It’s not as simple as glucose,” he says. “It’s more inflammatory/metabolic/hormonal,” or the fact that patients are so nutrient deficient that their system isn’t generating sufficient energy. Further, on a day-to-day basis, Herskowitz uses serum ferritin level as an important marker of health.

I have also long stated that serum ferritin, which measures stored iron, is one of the most important tests that everyone should have done on a regular basis as part of a preventive, proactive health screen.

Innovative Test for Cancer Treatment

Meanwhile, Herskowitz described an innovative test for tumors that can improve treatment decisions. Many people with cancer capitulate to taking chemotherapy, either because of fear, their own choice or direction from loved ones or their oncologist.

Many alternative practitioners treating cancer patients say their biggest challenge is the fact that virtually no one comes to see them before they take chemotherapy, which often destroys their body’s healing abilities.

Herskowitz, who uses antioxidants, nutrition, photobiomodulation, intravenous therapies and other strategies for cancer, details a test he believes may change the way chemotherapy is given in the U.S.:

“There’s a new innovation you should be aware of. And that’s taking a slice of the tumor itself on the biopsy side, articulating the various genomic mutations, and looking for the same genomic mutations in the peripheral blood. Now, it’s not a new generation of circulating tumor cell counts, and this is all different generation. So, the goal here is, say, I’m on chemo.

I don’t want to be on it, unless it’s working. Whether it’s high dose chemo, or even low dose chemo, I want it to be working on my behalf. And unless these markers are going down, I’m going to switch. I can tell my oncologist to switch because the genomic data are universally accepted by any oncologist in any university setting.

And I think that’s going to change the way chemotherapy is given in the United States over time. These are approved tests for advanced cancers, and now they’re moving to get approvals for all cancers of any kind.”

Cellular Function Is Becoming Less Efficient

In his decades of clinical experience, Herskowitz says he’s seen our overall capacity for cellular function becoming less efficient. “Practicing now is just different,” he says. For instance, less than 2% of the population used to have autoimmunity, but now he believes it’s somewhere between 10% and 20% — and we may be reaching a tipping point.

“I don’t know where we’re going to be in 10 years … people are still functioning, which is remarkable … [but] I think that we’ve lost most of our reserves. Our reserve function is relatively gone So, maybe more than 50% of our reserve function has now gone over the last four decades,” he says, referring to not only biological resiliency but also metabolic and mitochondrial function. Fortunately, there’s still hope to turn health around.

“Mitochondrial biogenesis is possible, at some point, so I think we still have a lot of hope that right now we can reverse by going clean. And the cleaner you go, the better you’ll feel anyway,” Herskowitz explains. The fact is, your body has unbelievable resiliency provided you identify what’s causing your problems and address it, including by eliminating ultraprocessed foods from your diet and reducing your exposure to other toxicities.

You can find out more about Herskowitz’s strategies for longevity and chronic disease at his website Anataramedicine.com. As mentioned, we’re going to be working together in the future so Herskowitz can further direct his knowledge and insights into correcting the faults in the system. He adds:

“I can tell you one thing. I’ll end it like this. There’s a lot of secrets going on, there’s a lot of mystery. There’s a lot of things we don’t know very much about. And the worst thing a doctor can do is have an arrogant attitude. They understand everything. And I think that as long as we remain open and honest now, and remain lifelong learners, we will all be in better shape.”

– Sources and References

Posted in Cancer, Ferritin, Gut, Linoleic Acid, Microbiome, Nutrition, Toxins | No Comments »

Posted by: | Posted on: August 26, 2024

How Gut Bacteria May Trigger Binge Eating and Weight Gain


Reproduced from original article:
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2024/08/26/gut-bacteria-binge-eating-and-weight-gain.aspx

Analysis by Dr. Joseph Mercola     August 26, 2024

gut bacteria binge eating and weight gain

STORY AT-A-GLANCE

  • Gut bacteria may trigger binge eating and weight gain. Studies show similarities in microbiome patterns between humans and mice with compulsive eating behaviors, including increased Proteobacteria and decreased Actinobacteria and Blautia
  • The gut-brain axis plays a crucial role in food addiction and binge eating disorders. Gut microbiota can produce substances affecting appetite and mood, potentially influencing eating behaviors through the vagus nerve
  • Research has identified distinct neural pathways for fat and sugar cravings originating in the gut. When activated simultaneously, these pathways lead to increased dopamine release, potentially driving overeating
  • Akkermansia muciniphila, a beneficial gut bacterium, is associated with improved metabolic health and weight management. It enhances gut barrier function, reduces inflammation, and may help regulate appetite through effects similar to GLP-1 medications
  • Healing the gut microbiome may help break food addiction. Nurturing beneficial oxygen-intolerant bacteria strengthens intestinal defenses, while imbalances can lead to leaky gut syndrome and contribute to binge eating behaviors

If you’ve ever experienced symptoms of food addiction, like intense cravings for specific (usually unhealthy) foods or eating to the point that you feel sick, your gut bacteria could be to blame. Both humans and mice who engage in compulsive eating share similar microbiome patterns, including an increase in Proteobacteria and a decrease in Actinobacteria and bacteria called Blautia.1

The findings, published in the journal Gut,2 suggest that addressing your gut health may be instrumental in curbing binge eating and its associated weight gain.

“We speculate that the gut talks with the brain,” study author Elena Martin-Garcia, an associate professor at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona, Spain, told NBC News. “And that may change the function of some brain areas, such as the prefrontal cortex, which is involved in self-control.”3

Gut Microbiota May Trigger Food Addiction

The Gut study uncovered a potential link between gut microbiota and food addiction, a disorder characterized by loss of control over food intake. It’s estimated that up to 20% of adults may struggle with food addiction,4 which can lead to compulsive eating behaviors that are similar to drug addiction.

Researchers used the Yale Food Addiction Scale 2.0 to identify food addiction. While human participants answered 35 questions, mice were observed for signs of food addiction, including persistent food-seeking, compulsive behavior and high motivation for food.5

Gut bacteria were then compared among humans and mice who were and were not addicted to food. The study revealed striking similarities in gut microbiota signatures linked to food addiction in both mice and human cohorts. Bacteria belonging to the Proteobacteria phylum were associated with potentially harmful effects, while Actinobacteria showed potential protective effects against food addiction development.6

Notably, a decreased abundance of the Blautia genus was observed in food addicted humans and mice. Researchers found that feeding non-digestible carbohydrates like lactulose and rhamnose, prebiotics known to promote Blautia growth, led to increased Blautia abundance in mice feces. Further, this change occurred along with significant improvements in food addiction symptoms. Similar positive results were found after the mice were given Blautia wexlerae orally as a probiotic.7

The study suggests that specific gut microbiota content may serve as a biomarker for food addiction vulnerability, opening new avenues for diagnosis and treatment. It also paves the way for innovative treatments using beneficial microbes and dietary supplementation. This new understanding could revolutionize approaches to managing food addiction and potentially contribute to addressing the broader issue of weight gain and obesity. According to Martin-Garcia:8

“We have demonstrated for the first time a direct interaction between the gut composition and brain gene expression, revealing the complex and multifactorial origin of this important behavioral disorder related to obesity. Understanding the crosstalk between alterations in behavior and bacteria in the gut constitutes a step forward for future treatments for food addiction and related eating disorders.”

Disrupted Gut Microbiome Linked to Binge Eating Disorder

Binge eating disorder (BED), a condition defined by recurrent episodes of eating large amounts of food in a short time, shares many similarities with food addiction, including a link to gut microbiota.

It’s likely that the gut microbiome is influencing eating behaviors through the microbiota-gut-brain axis. This is a complex communication system between your gut and your brain. Your microbiome can produce various substances, like short-chain fatty acids and neurotransmitters, that affect your appetite and mood. For instance, some gut bacteria produce molecules that mimic your body’s own appetite-regulating hormones.9

The vagus nerve, which connects your gut to your brain, also plays a crucial role in this communication. Recent studies have shown that certain metabolites produced by gut bacteria can interact with receptors on the vagus nerve, potentially influencing your eating behaviors.

One such metabolite, kynurenic acid (KYNA), has been found to be lower in individuals with bulimia nervosa, which involves binge eating behaviors. When researchers administered KYNA to mice prone to binge eating, it reduced their preference for palatable food and overall calorie intake.10

Brain imaging studies have revealed that individuals with BED show differences in brain activity, particularly in areas involved in reward processing, motivation and decision-making. These differences might explain why people with BED have stronger food cravings, make riskier decisions around food and have difficulty controlling their eating.

“Emerging evidence corroborates the notion that dysbiosis of gastrointestinal microbiome and its metabolites, alteration of gut-brain axis, as well as malfunctioning central circuitry regulating motivation, execution and reward all contribute to the pathology of binge eating,” researchers explained in Gut Microbes.11

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Gut-Brain Circuits May Control Overeating

Separate research also highlights the complex interplay between your gut, your brain and your desire to eat — or overeat. The study, by scientists from the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, uncovered distinct neural pathways for fat and sugar cravings that originate in the gut.12

When the pathways were simultaneously activated, it led to significantly more dopamine release, setting the stage for cravings and, potentially, overeating. Study author Guillaume de Lartigue, Ph.D., explained in a news release:13

“Food is nature’s ultimate reinforcer. But why fats and sugars are particularly appealing has been a puzzle. We’ve now identified nerve cells in the gut rather than taste cells in the mouth are a key driver. We found that distinct gut-brain pathways are recruited by fats and sugars, explaining why that donut can be so irresistible.

… It’s like a one-two punch to the brain’s reward system. Even if the total calories consumed in sugar and fats stays the same, combining fats and sugars leads to significantly more dopamine release and, ultimately, overeating in the mice … The communication between our gut and brain happens below the level of consciousness … We may be craving these types of food without even realizing it.”

In another example, obesity also alters the gut microbiome, which in turn influences the host’s metabolism, including appetite.14 In a study published in the journal Microbiome, researchers used fecal transplants from lean or obese mice to recipient mice, revealing that gut microorganisms influence food reward mechanisms, including the desire for and learning associated with pleasurable eating.

These microbes may be responsible for an excessive drive to obtain sugar pellets and changes in dopamine and opioid indicators in brain regions linked to reward. The researchers identified 3-(3′-hydroxyphenyl)propanoic acid (33HPP) — a metabolite produced by certain gut microbes through the breakdown of dietary compounds — as strongly correlated with this heightened motivation. When they gave mice this compound, it affected their desire for food.

“Our data suggest that targeting the gut microbiota and its metabolites would be an interesting therapeutic strategy for compulsive eating, preventing inappropriate hedonic food intake,” the scientists explained.15 By better understanding how the gut microbiome influences eating behaviors, therapies that target the microbiome may one day help manage binge eating disorders. However, you can take steps now to help heal a damaged gut.

Gut Microbe Akkermansia Benefits Metabolic Health and Weight Management

Akkermansia muciniphila is a beneficial bacterial species naturally found in the human gut. Ideally, Akkermansia should make up about 3% to 5% of a healthy gut microbiome. However, genetic analyses indicate that approximately one-third of individuals have low or undetectable levels of Akkermansia, possibly due to compromised mitochondrial function leading to increased oxygen in the gut environment.

Akkermansia has been tested in overweight and obese individuals with promising initial results. Akkermansia is associated with several positive health outcomes, including:16

  • Improved gut barrier function
  • Decreased inflammation
  • Better metabolic health
  • Potential weight loss effects

Interestingly, the effects of Akkermansia on glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) are similar to those of medications like Ozempic. GLP-1 plays a role in insulin regulation and may also affect the nervous system, potentially leading to reduced appetite. Given its significant health implications, Akkermansia is expected to remain an important focus of scientific research in the coming years.17

Akkermansia, a Gram-negative, anaerobic bacterium, grows in the absence of oxygen and colonizes the human gut early in life through breast milk. It’s benefits stem largely from its ability to break down mucin, a key component of gut mucus. This process stimulates increased mucin production, enhancing intestinal barrier integrity.18

The bacterium also boosts the expression of tight junction proteins and reduces gut lipopolysaccharide (LPS) production, leading to anti-inflammatory effects.19 Studies in rodents showed that administering Akkermansia led to less weight gain, improved glucose tolerance and reduced diet-induced endotoxemia. Meanwhile, in humans, Akkermansia improved insulin sensitivity and liver function markers, and decreased body weight and fat mass.20

There are some quality concerns with Akkermansia, however, as many manufacturers use AFU (Active Fluorescent Units) instead of the more traditional CFU (Colony-Forming Units) to measure the bacteria in their products. CFU is the gold standard in the industry, counting only the viable bacteria that can grow, multiply and form colonies within your digestive system.

When a company uses AFU, they’re not just counting the live bacteria; they’re also including cells that might be potentially viable or even dead; this can lead to inflated numbers that don’t accurately represent the true potency of the probiotic.

Healing Your Gut May Help You Break Food Addiction

The gut microbiome’s influence on binge eating can be understood through the intricate balance of bacteria in your intestines. A healthy gut hosts a diverse community of microorganisms that work in harmony to protect your overall health. Nurturing beneficial oxygen-intolerant bacteria, such as the crucial species Akkermansia, strengthens your intestinal defenses and helps create an environment that supports overall well-being.

These beneficial bacteria break down dietary fibers to produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), particularly butyrate. This compound fuels colonic epithelial cells, strengthening the intestinal barrier. SCFAs also stimulate mucin production, forming a protective layer against harmful bacteria.

When oxygen-intolerant bacteria decrease, it can lead to leaky gut syndrome. This condition allows toxins, undigested food and harmful microbes to enter your bloodstream, potentially triggering systemic inflammation and chronic illnesses.

Oxygen-intolerant bacteria are crucial for converting indigestible plant fibers into beneficial fats. They thrive in an oxygen-free environment, which requires adequate cellular energy to maintain. However, modern factors like seed oil consumption and exposure to toxins like endocrine-disrupting chemicals in plastics can compromise this energy production, making it difficult to maintain the ideal no-oxygen gut environment.

This can cause a shift from oxygen-intolerant to oxygen-tolerant species. Importantly, oxygen-tolerant bacteria produce more potent endotoxins. As a result, individuals with more oxygen-tolerant gut bacteria may experience stronger negative reactions to plant carbohydrates due to increased endotoxin exposure. In the context of binge eating, this bacterial imbalance could contribute to the disorder in several ways:

  • Mood and behavior — Increased inflammation from endotoxins can affect brain function, potentially influencing mood and eating behaviors.
  • Gut-brain axis disruption — The compromised gut barrier might alter your gut-brain communication, affecting appetite regulation and emotional responses to food.
  • Stress response — The chronic low-grade inflammation from a compromised gut can heighten stress responses, potentially leading to stress-induced binge eating.

Understanding the relationship between cellular energy production, gut oxygen levels and microbial diversity is crucial for overall wellness, including balanced eating behaviors. Improving mitochondrial function and maintaining a healthy gut ecosystem can promote beneficial bacteria growth while reducing harmful endotoxin effects, potentially helping to mitigate factors contributing to binge eating.

Posted in Bacteria, Food, Gut, Microbiome | No Comments »

Posted by: | Posted on: July 8, 2024

Top 5 Reasons Never to Use Splenda

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Reproduced from original article:
https://greenmedinfo.com/blog/top-5-reasons-never-use-splenda

Posted on:  Saturday, June 29th 2024 at 8:45 pm

Written By: Sayer Ji, Founder

This article is copyrighted by GreenMedInfo LLC, 2024
Top 5 Reasons Never To Use Splenda
Splenda is marketed as a no-calorie, no-guilt sugar substitute. Blood sugar stable, it “passes right through” the body, so it’s safe for diabetics AND you won’t gain weight! Are these claims masking the ugly truth about this chemical imposter? As mounting research shows, when it comes to our diet, there is no free lunch

Splenda’s Spurious Claims

The allure is plain to see: a sweetener made from sugar, that tastes like sugar, but has zero calories. If the marketing is to be believed, this product is better than the real thing. It’s everything we love, with all of the evils removed.

When it comes to product marketing, beware the free lunch. Despite claims by the manufacturers that Splenda use is part of a healthy lifestyle, research is piling up that tells a very different story.

From the myth-busting studies linking Splenda to diabetes and weight-gain to sobering research showing increased risks of cancer, and more, our sucralose research portal reveals 22 different signs of trouble associated with this artificial sweetener.

Before we dive into the top reasons to avoid Splenda, let’s separate fact from fiction regarding exactly what this false promise really is.

What IS Splenda?

The brand name “Splenda” refers to the chemical compound sucralose. The story of this substance does not attempt to conceal its bizarre origin: The year was 1974, when a chemist at a British college was told to “test” this new creation. Instead, he heard “taste,” which he did. The substance had an intensely sweet impact on the tongue, and like that, a new “food” was created for the public.

Seeing the actual chemical name of Splenda makes the synthetic product’s true nature much clearer:

1,6-dichloro-1,6-dideoxy-BETA-D-fructofuranosyl-4-chloro-4-deoxy-alpha-D-galactopyranoside

Although the product is touted as being derived from sugar, sucralose, aka Splenda, is not a form of sucrose, or cane sugar. Natural sugar is a hydrocarbon built around 12 carbon atoms. Sucralose is produced through substituting three hydroxyl groups (hydrogen + oxygen) with three chlorine atoms in the sugar (sucrose) molecule.

When sugar molecules are transformed into Splenda, they become chlorocarbons, the same chemical family as the deadly pesticide, DDT, disinfectants like Clorox Bleach, and the WWI poison gas, dichlorourea. Thanks to its sugary simulation, this dangerous toxicant has earned a place on grocery store shelves and in products worldwide.

Who’s Protecting You?

You may be thinking, “The FDA would never approve this if it wasn’t safe.” Common sense dictates that trying to pass toxic chemicals off as foods would never be allowed to happen in civilized society, right?

Sadly, our collective past has proven that regulatory safety nets often fail to protect consumer safety. Artificial sweeteners like sucralose and aspartame are approved for sale in 90 nations around the world, despite overwhelming evidence linking them to a wide range of serious health conditions, such as cancer, liver failure, and brain damage.

But as concerns about sucralose mount, the scientific consensus is taking notice. A recent Italian study linking Splenda to leukemia in mice prompted the Center for the Public Interest in Science to downgrade the safety classification for Splenda from “safe” to “caution.”

New evidence indicates that many of the associated health concerns present at even lower exposure levels than the manufacturers would have us believe. “Use caution” may prove to be an understatement with serious health consequences.

How Much is Too Much?

While manufacturers go to great lengths to cherry-pick studies in which damage occurs only in high doses, research shows the amount of Splenda required to cause toxic effects is much lower than current guidelines allow. In fact, the acceptable daily intake of Splenda may be set hundreds of times too high to ensure safety.

In 1998, the FDA approved an acceptable daily intake (ADI) for humans of 5 mg/kg per day, based on toxicity studies in rats measuring observed effect level. This safety limit was based on observations of the rats’ outward presentations of disease symptoms.

Since that time, much has been learned about the importance of what is unseen in our biological ecosystem, namely the trillions of microbes that constitute the microbiome. Research into the impact of Splenda on gut health concluded that the observation threshold for adverse effects to the microbiome of rats was 454 times lower than when initially measured, indicating that significant effects are expected in humans who are consuming far less than the advertised acceptable daily intake of Splenda.

Top 5 Reasons to Avoid Splenda

When you understand what Splenda is, and realize there is no regulatory safety net between you and harm, it makes understanding the facts about Splenda even more critical. Here are five alarming reasons to avoid this artificial sweetener.

  1. It’s toxic and carcinogenic 

Regulatory agencies may be slow to recognize the signs, but our bodies know immediately what is food, and what is poison. A recent study published in the European Journal of Nutrition concluded that rats metabolize sucralose in the same way they metabolize other harmful drugs and toxins. The body treats Splenda as a poison, and works fast to remove it.

Scientists found other toxicological issues with long-term exposure to sucralose. Bowel enlargement, kidney mineralization, and changes to pelvic tissue were some of the side-effects of doses well within limits of the allowable daily intake level set for humans.

These findings do much to disprove the manufacturers claim that this substance merely passes, unaltered, through the digestive tract. The makers of Splenda argue that this “remarkably stable” chemical transits, unchanged, into the urine and feces, when in fact, up to 11% to 27% is absorbed into the body (FDA, 1999).

What effects will these accumulated chemicals have on our health? According to James Bowen, M.D:

“Any chlorocarbons not excreted intact from the body can cause immense damage to the processes of human metabolism and, eventually, our internal organs.”

Warning: Heating Splenda Increases the Risks

Recent findings add increased urgency to existing safety concerns surrounding Splenda’s heat-stability. Advertised as “ideal for baking”, results show that Splenda is even more dangerous when heated to a mere 248℉.

At this relatively low-heat level, Splenda degrades into toxic compounds like chloropropanol and deadly dioxins. This evidence presents a sharp contrast to the claim that Splenda can safely be used in high-heat processes.

  1. Increases risks of diabetes and obesity

Splenda is marketed as a way to “get a little sweetness in your life” without any of the concerns surrounding weight gain or sugar sensitivity. It’s becoming clear just how false this advertising really is. In fact, the trade-off may be far worse than the real thing.

Studies on human test subjects show that sucralose alters the body’s ability to process glucose, creating glucose intolerance, metabolic disturbances, and diabetes-promoting effects that are key factors in obesity. These harmful responses occur despite sucralose containing no calories and being classified as a ‘non-nutritive sweetener.’

In one such trial, a single dose of sucralose led to increases in plasma glucose concentrations, a 20% increase in insulin levels, a 22% greater peak insulin secretion rate, and a 7% decrease in insulin sensitivity.

This human study linked Splenda to diabetes-associated metabolic changes, including increased appetite and weight gain, calling into question its value as a sweetener for those suffering with, or wishing to prevent, blood sugar disorders.

If these sweeteners pass through the gut intact, and are mostly unabsorbed by the body, what could be responsible for these adverse impacts on gut function and insulin response?

It’s in the Microbiota

Researchers hypothesized, and later proved, that gut microbiota drove these adverse effects, including “increased weight and waist-to-hip ratio; higher fasting blood glucose, impaired glucose tolerance, and elevated markers of fatty liver disease.”

They observed significant changes to the gut bacterial composition of mice consuming artificial sweeteners, which brings us to the next reason to avoid Splenda: its effects on the all-important intestinal microbiome.

  1. Harms the GI tract 

Research into the microbiome continues to yield breakthrough discoveries on the intimate relationship between the ‘enteric brain’ and the central nervous system. This connection may reveal previously unrecognized consequences of the use of this artificial sweetener. It’s negative impact on the microbiome is clear:

  • Sucralose reduced the number of beneficial bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract (e.g., lactobacilli, bifidobacteria),
  • While increasing the count of detrimental bacteria (e.g., enterobacteria).
  • Adverse effects on gut flora did not return to normal (baseline) despite the allowance of a 3-month recovery period.
  • Sucralose altered the pH of the gastrointestinal tract, a prime factor in the development of disease states

These findings coincide with a global uptick in inflammatory bowel disease, particularly evident in Canada, where Sucralose has been proposed to be a primary driver of this disturbing trend.

  1. Contaminates breast milk 

The use of sucralose has grown so prevalent, even our most vulnerable populations are incapable of opting out of exposure. A recent government-funded study found sucralose contaminated 65% of all breast milk samples assayed.

The groundbreaking study, “Nonnutritive Sweeteners in Breast Milk“, found that sucralose survives maternal metabolism and enters breast milk in the majority of samples tested. The presence of non-nutritive sweeteners in the breast milk was irrespective of whether the mother knowingly consumed the substance.

Adequate proof of the safety of sucralose in infants is not available, and tests are unethical to perform in human subjects. This is one reason for the use of animals in surrogate risk assessments. One such assessment involves testing a chemical’s safety by determining the amount needed to kill 50% of rodents within a short time frame (“acute toxicity”), and then deducing an “acceptable level of harm” to humans. This is done primarily by adjusting for body weight differences between rodents and humans.

This outdated and misleading standard does not account for low-dose, chronic exposures over time, nor does it account for the synergistic toxicities of multiple chemical exposures occurring simultaneously in real-world situations. Until such rigorous testing can be performed, the use of non-nutritive sweeteners should be halted by those wishing to conceive, and women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.

  1. Suppresses Thyroid Function, Disrupts Hormones

A study published in the European Journal of Nutrition is the first study of its kind to evaluate the effects of Splenda on thyroid function and metabolism.

Their findings reveal that sucralose is an endocrine disruptor: it disrupts the body’s hormonal systems. In this study, resultant effects included thyroid hormone suppression, increased appetite, and weight gain.

The researchers believed that Splenda’s adverse effects would be reflected in “thyroid histopathology,” i.e. increased instances of thyroid lesions and tumors. Could this be one of the drivers behind the mysterious global uptick in thyroid cancer diagnoses?

In this study, researchers lament the widespread use of non-nutritive sweeteners, particularly concerning due to lack of research on their effects on thyroid:

“Non-nutritive sweeteners are the most widely used food additives worldwide. However, their metabolic outcomes are still a matter of controversy and their effect on the thyroid activity, a key regulator of metabolism, has not been previously studied.”

The chief aim of this study was to reveal the effect of “sweet-type flavor on selected parameters of thyroid activity.”

105 rats were divided into 3 groups that could consume, free-choice, one of three different diets. The three, wheat starch-based diets had identical caloric content, yet differed in the following ways:

  • Diet #1 contained no sugar
  • Diet #2 contained 10 grams of sucrose (cane sugar)
  • Diet #3 contained .0167 grams of sucralose, enough to create the same sweet flavor intensity as Diet #2

Because previous research has established that carbohydrates directly affect thyroid, this study was designed to isolate only the difference between the artificial and natural sweetener. Results indicated that both the presence and type of sweet-flavor carrier effects thyroid activity.

Compared to the diet with cane sugar which stimulates thyroid activity, sucralose diminished thyroid hormone activity. Additionally, key hormone concentrations (T4 & T3) were lower for subjects eating sucralose than in either the sugary or non-sweet diets. Researchers determined that sucralose significantly altered the thyroid and metabolic functions of the animals, with symptoms resembling those of hypothyroidism.

This study proved sucralose is not metabolically inert, the claim often made when questions of toxicity are raised. The results provide compelling evidence that the difference in thyroid and metabolic effects observed between the study groups were due to sucralose’s significant and complex toxicological properties.

For more information and the latest medical research, check out GreenMedInfo’s sucralose research database.

Check out the research on the health benefits of natural sweeteners like honey, and stevia, a no-calorie alternative to synthetic sweeteners.

Sayer Ji is founder of Greenmedinfo.com, author of international best-seller REGENERATE: Unlocking Your Body’s Radical Resilience through the New Biology, co-founder of Stand for Health Freedom (501c4), and UNITE.live, a global, multi-media platform for conscious creators and their communities.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of GreenMedInfo or its staff.

Posted in Artificial Sweeteners, Cancer, Diabetes, Food, Gut, Hormones, Microbiome, Obesity, Thyroid | No Comments »

Posted by: | Posted on: July 6, 2024

Longevity Expert Shares Clues About Drivers of Chronic Disease


Reproduced from original article:
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2024/06/30/drivers-of-chronic-disease.aspx

Analysis by Dr. Joseph Mercola     June 30, 2024

STORY AT-A-GLANCE

  • Dr. Ahvie Herskowitz, a former UCSF professor, treats complex health issues by addressing root causes. He believes microbiome problems and leaky gut are fundamental to many diseases, including cancer and autoimmune disorders
  • Chronic diseases often result from accumulated toxicities and nutritional deficiencies. Herskowitz estimates 80%-90% of Americans have metabolic syndrome, largely due to processed foods and environmental toxins
  • “Nuisance symptoms” like toenail fungus or indigestion may indicate underlying health issues. Herskowitz found Alzheimer’s patients had 2.5 times more such symptoms compared to healthy individuals
  • To measure biological age, Herskowitz uses tests for oxidative stress, chronic immune function, mitochondrial function, and senescent cells. He also emphasizes the importance of monitoring serum ferritin levels
  • Herskowitz describes an innovative cancer test that analyzes tumor genomics to guide chemotherapy decisions. He believes this approach could revolutionize cancer treatment in the United States

I recently interviewed Dr. Ahvie Herskowitz, former clinical professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, and founder of Anatara Medicine, a multidisciplinary integrative center in San Francisco.1 Herskowitz, an internist, has a deep foundational knowledge and science background that’s ideal for treating complicated health care cases.

We may be collaborating on a project in the future, but in the meantime at his center, they’re using advanced techniques to help people restore their health, including strategies for longevity and treatments for very ill patients, including those with autoimmunity, gut problems, cancer and more.

Microbiome Issues, Leaky Gut Causing Failure to Thrive

Herskowitz treats illness by looking at the foundational causes of disease. We discussed that a leading cause of death is, in my view, endotoxemia resulting in septic shock. This occurs when you secrete endotoxin from facultative anaerobes, otherwise called oxygen-tolerant bacteria, which shouldn’t be in your gut.

These pathogenic bacteria secrete a very virulent form of endotoxin, also known as lipopolysaccharides (LPS), which can cause inflammation if they translocate across the compromised gut barrier into the systemic circulation. Leaky gut, or a disturbed microbiome, is therefore one of the foundational causes of all disease.

Herskowitz explains, “I think that everyone that’s doing poorly and failing to thrive has a biome issue and a leaky gut issue, almost 100% … And in the standard allopathic intensive care units, it’s not considered a foundational issue.” When Herskowitz treats cancer patients, he says, they’re often in a state of failure to thrive.

“They’ve gotten so burdened by so many different layers of toxicity, that their system cannot keep up anymore enough,” he says. “And … that’s eventually due to mitochondrial failure throughout the body.”

Patients Overwhelmed by Toxicity and Nutritionally Depleted

Chronic diseases often result due to a buildup of toxicities and a lack nutrition and healing in the body to compensate for them. “All these toxicities affect every cell of the body simultaneously,” Herskowitz says.

“So, we all have relative strengths and weaknesses. And that comes up as to what organ is going to be the most involved. But we all have to almost decide whether we’re going to release these toxins on a day-to-day basis, otherwise our concept of longevity is going to be badly estimated.”

Herskowitz estimates that 80% to 90% of the U.S. population has metabolic syndrome, which increases the risk of heart disease, stroke and Type 2 diabetes. Obesity is another epidemic. Both are due to several factors, including toxicity that started more than 50 years ago as the food supply became increasingly processed. Herskowitz explains:

“This is where you get to the concept of an infinite number of toxicities, feeding a system that only has a finite way of cellular responses … it’s the seed oils [containing] linoleic acid, it’s the ultraprocessed foods and snacks. So, when you go to a general store today …

The overwhelming majority of the food that’s sold there is not to be for human consumption … and then the concept of our farming system has evolved toward efficiency … listen, industry is not our friend. It’s not our partner … their job is to sell more stuff, and to do so in an efficient way.

… I watched it over 45 years, I mean, ‘70s, ‘80s, 90s, this stuff is getting worse. Now the most difficult group to get an appointment with in the hospital is not the cardiology department, because it’s usually the largest department, but it’s endocrine and rheumatology, neurology.”

In other words, exposure to ultraprocessed foods and other toxicities is wreaking havoc in the body, leading to widespread chronic disease. “It causes havoc within the communications network, so that hormones go awry, inflammation goes awry and the detoxification system is overwhelmed,” Herskowitz explains.

“This leads to all the different disorders … it’s a straightforward thing … you have this nutrient depletion, which obviously … you’re more susceptible to everything. And then each of us is reaching our limit, so to speak.”

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Why You Should Pay Attention to ‘Nuisance Symptoms’

Herskowitz often sees patients when they’re very ill — but they don’t start out this way. He often looks back into their medical records over 25 years to see their past medical history. People who end up with serious diseases like Alzheimer’s disease often have far more “nuisance symptoms” over the years. This includes symptoms such as toenail fungus, indigestion, occasional diarrhea, hyperactivity or even high blood pressure.

In Herskowitz’s experience, his Alzheimer’s patients had 2.5 times more nuisance symptoms compared to a control group that didn’t have Alzheimer’s. “It’s consistent with this toxicity type of concept,” he says. “When you’re toxic, you have all these little things going on, and you don’t pay attention to them, because they’re not severe.”

However, they’re clues that something is off balance in your body, which can likely be addressed in the early stages. Unfortunately, most physicians aren’t looking for these types of systemic problems.

Tests to Measure How Old You Really Are

One of the challenges facing longevity medicine is figuring out what to measure in order to get an idea of how old you really are — meaning your biological age, which is how well your body is functioning compared to your chronological age, the actual number of years you’ve been alive. Biological age can be younger or older than your chronological age depending on your lifestyle, environmental factors and genetics.

Herskowitz believes oxidative stress is one useful measure to show where you are in a given moment in time over time. At his center, they use a urine test called 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) as a biomarker for oxidative damage and they use the lipid peroxides as a marker. He also uses tests to measure chronic immune function, mitochondrial function and senescent cells.

Senescent cells are cells that have stopped dividing and entered a state of permanent growth arrest without undergoing cell death. These cells can no longer replicate, but they remain metabolically active.

Senescence is a natural part of the cellular lifecycle and serves as a mechanism to prevent the proliferation of damaged cells, which can lead to cancer. However, the accumulation of senescent cells over time can contribute to aging and various age-related diseases. According to Herskowitz:

“[We look for] concepts of the subtlety of how the immune system is being suppressed. And it’s not the current CBC [complete blood count]. It’s more on the chronic side. So how does it deal with biological toxins? And that’s more a journey into the complement immune cascade, which deals with chronic infection, chronic biological toxins and how to deal with it.

So, measures of complement cascades for autoimmunity as well. And then probably the biggest one, other than mitochondrial function and oxidative stress, to me is if we can measure the number of senescent cells we have in our body at any time. The higher it is, the worse you’re doing.”

Herskowitz also uses markers of metabolic pathways that measure glucose metabolism. “It’s not as simple as glucose,” he says. “It’s more inflammatory/metabolic/hormonal,” or the fact that patients are so nutrient deficient that their system isn’t generating sufficient energy. Further, on a day-to-day basis, Herskowitz uses serum ferritin level as an important marker of health.

I have also long stated that serum ferritin, which measures stored iron, is one of the most important tests that everyone should have done on a regular basis as part of a preventive, proactive health screen.

Innovative Test for Cancer Treatment

Meanwhile, Herskowitz described an innovative test for tumors that can improve treatment decisions. Many people with cancer capitulate to taking chemotherapy, either because of fear, their own choice or direction from loved ones or their oncologist.

Many alternative practitioners treating cancer patients say their biggest challenge is the fact that virtually no one comes to see them before they take chemotherapy, which often destroys their body’s healing abilities.

Herskowitz, who uses antioxidants, nutrition, photobiomodulation, intravenous therapies and other strategies for cancer, details a test he believes may change the way chemotherapy is given in the U.S.:

“There’s a new innovation you should be aware of. And that’s taking a slice of the tumor itself on the biopsy side, articulating the various genomic mutations, and looking for the same genomic mutations in the peripheral blood. Now, it’s not a new generation of circulating tumor cell counts, and this is all different generation. So, the goal here is, say, I’m on chemo.

I don’t want to be on it, unless it’s working. Whether it’s high dose chemo, or even low dose chemo, I want it to be working on my behalf. And unless these markers are going down, I’m going to switch. I can tell my oncologist to switch because the genomic data are universally accepted by any oncologist in any university setting.

And I think that’s going to change the way chemotherapy is given in the United States over time. These are approved tests for advanced cancers, and now they’re moving to get approvals for all cancers of any kind.”

Cellular Function Is Becoming Less Efficient

In his decades of clinical experience, Herskowitz says he’s seen our overall capacity for cellular function becoming less efficient. “Practicing now is just different,” he says. For instance, less than 2% of the population used to have autoimmunity, but now he believes it’s somewhere between 10% and 20% — and we may be reaching a tipping point.

“I don’t know where we’re going to be in 10 years … people are still functioning, which is remarkable … [but] I think that we’ve lost most of our reserves. Our reserve function is relatively gone So, maybe more than 50% of our reserve function has now gone over the last four decades,” he says, referring to not only biological resiliency but also metabolic and mitochondrial function. Fortunately, there’s still hope to turn health around.

“Mitochondrial biogenesis is possible, at some point, so I think we still have a lot of hope that right now we can reverse by going clean. And the cleaner you go, the better you’ll feel anyway,” Herskowitz explains. The fact is, your body has unbelievable resiliency provided you identify what’s causing your problems and address it, including by eliminating ultraprocessed foods from your diet and reducing your exposure to other toxicities.

You can find out more about Herskowitz’s strategies for longevity and chronic disease at his website Anataramedicine.com. As mentioned, we’re going to be working together in the future so Herskowitz can further direct his knowledge and insights into correcting the faults in the system. He adds:

“I can tell you one thing. I’ll end it like this. There’s a lot of secrets going on, there’s a lot of mystery. There’s a lot of things we don’t know very much about. And the worst thing a doctor can do is have an arrogant attitude. They understand everything. And I think that as long as we remain open and honest now, and remain lifelong learners, we will all be in better shape.”

– Sources and References

Posted in Age, Cancer, Gut, Linoleic Acid, Microbiome, Mitochondria, Mortality | No Comments »

Posted by: | Posted on: June 24, 2024

How Your Gut Microbiome Affects Your Oxalate Tolerance


Reproduced from original article:
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2024/06/23/oxalate-intolerance-gut-microbiome.aspx

Analysis by Dr. Joseph Mercola     June 23, 2024

STORY AT-A-GLANCE

  • Oxalates are naturally occurring substances found in many plants, including vegetables and fruit
  • While they’re a normal part of human metabolism and your diet, can contribute to the formation of kidney stones and other problems in sensitive individuals
  • The problem isn’t the oxalates themselves but a damaged gut, which interferes with your body’s ability to clear oxalates effectively
  • In my interview with Ruth Ann Foster, ScD, BSN, RN, we explore the underlying causes of that gut dysfunction and how it relates to overall health
  • A diet of ultraprocessed foods and antibiotics are two primary culprits underlying gut dysfunction and oxalate intolerance

Oxalates are naturally occurring substances found in many plants, including vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds. Chemically, oxalate is the ionized form of oxalic acid, explains Ruth Ann Foster, ScD, BSN, RN.1 While they’re a normal part of human metabolism and your diet, they can bind to minerals like calcium, forming crystals known as calcium oxalate.

When consumed in large amounts or in susceptible individuals, oxalates can contribute to the formation of kidney stones. However, the problem isn’t the oxalates themselves but a damaged gut, which interferes with your body’s ability to clear oxalates effectively.

In my interview with Foster, who has a doctorate in holistic nutrition and studies the relationships between minerals, microbes and water, we explore the underlying causes of that gut dysfunction and how it relates to overall health.

People Have Eaten High-Oxalate Diets for Millenia

“I really got started on oxalates when I was doing my dissertation on magnesium and drinking water. And because magnesium is, you know, vital it inside the cell,” Foster explains. “It’s an antagonist with calcium, which is made mainly outside of the cell. And, you know, the majority of kidney stones are calcium oxalate, and that has coincided with a deficiency in magnesium. So, I was well aware of problems with oxalates.”2

However, she started to wonder why oxalates are such a problem. Initially, she thought plants may be the issue, assuming Eskimos and other native cultures didn’t eat a lot of high-oxalate foods and were therefore healthy, with low rates of kidney stones. But it turned out that high-oxalate foods are common in many traditional diets:3

“I found that there are a lot of ancestral tribes and communities that ate a lot of oxalates and a lot of people that are still living on them today. So, then I started looking more into kidney stone disease and realize yes, while it’s been around since antiquity, it really has taken off exponentially since the Industrial Revolution — since we started eating processed foods.

And, you know, processing our water to take the magnesium out of the drinking water … one of the first groups of people that I looked at … were the people in the lower Pecos … region of I think it’s Western Texas, and they ate a lot of oxalates. But they were able to clear them.

And then looking around at that, looking at animals in the kind of desert area, there’s a wood rat, a white-throated wood rat, that also consumes most of its diet in an oxalate cactus and things like that. But it also excretes them.

So, scientists are now using the woodrat to study our microbiome. And they’ve taken some of the transplanted fecal material from the woodrat into lab rats. And they’ve been able to maintain oxalate clearing tolerance for nine months later. So, there’s something going on in the gut microbiome.”

Foster also researched the Inuits, first assuming that their very low rates of kidney stone disease are due to a diet low in fruits and vegetables, and low in oxalates. Yet, once again, she revealed these native cultures have eaten high-oxalate foods all along, without the problems they cause to so many people today:4

“It turns out … the Inuits eat a lot of high-oxalate foods, and they eat them all year long. They don’t just eat them [during] their short little growing season. They ferment them, they dry them, and so on …

Plus, the other thing that they would do is they eat the rumen of some of the reindeer that they find, which is, again, it’s going to have some bacteria in it. And that helps them to be able to process through these things. So then looking at Africa, same kind of thing, high-oxalate foods. And in each one of these situations, all of these people have been able to clear the oxalates.”

Antibiotics, Ultraprocessed Foods Are Destroying Gut Health

Exposures to antibiotics and ultraprocessed foods represent a key difference in traditional cultures and those living in the modern world. These factors are destroying gut health among those living in the Western world, such that many people are unable to handle high-oxalate foods.

“Overall, accumulating evidence reveals that kidney stones are fundamentally linked to a damaged gut, which impairs the body’s ability to clear oxalates. We must, therefore, consider the real culprits like refined sweeteners, ultraprocessed foods and seed oils — hallmarks of the modern industrial diet,” Foster writes.5

One consequence is that an important bacterium, Oxalobacter formigenes, is now missing in many adults’ guts. “A lot of the primitive cultures still have Oxalobacter in their guts,” Foster says.6 This beneficial bacterium plays a crucial role in the metabolism and regulation of bodily oxalate levels. It digests oxalate crystals and basically signals the gut wall to excrete oxalate for its own nourishment.

In this way, Oxalobacter helps reduce the concentration of oxalate in your gut, which can consequently lower the risk of oxalate crystallization and the formation of kidney stones and other health problems. However, this is just one type of beneficial bacteria involved in oxalate degradation. According to Foster:7

“With rapid advances in technology, scientists have learned that multiple bacterial species can degrade oxalate, working through a large network. For example, monitoring the gut bacteria of over one thousand healthy participants, one study found that the majority (92%) of gut microbiomes contained several species of oxalate-degrading bacteria.

Because of the complexity of the oxalate-degrading network, researchers now understand the importance of assessing gut health in its entirety rather than focusing on a single bacterial type such as O. formigenes … Hence, a healthy gut is key to maintaining oxalate tolerance.”

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Healthy Foods Often Get Blamed for Problems Caused by a Damaged Gut

Often, Foster says, when people try to switch from a highly processed diet to a healthy one, they introduce more high-oxalate foods, like spinach and beets. Then, digestive issues, such as bloating, gas and abdominal pain, may occur due to the irritation of the intestinal lining by oxalates.

“You want to correct it and so you start eating healthy, and then you get even sicker … then, instead of blaming the bad foods, you blame the healthy food,” Foster says. In short, as a result of an ultraprocessed diet, mitochondrial dysfunction and an inability to create sufficient cellular energy occurs.

So, many people have lost the ability to maintain a high enough concentration of beneficial bacteria in their gut that actually digest the healthy fibers in fruit, vegetables and grain. Then, when you do eat those types of foods, you get worse, as you’re not feeding the good bacteria anymore, because they’re not there, they can’t survive.

Instead, you have a buildup of pathogenic bacteria that produce toxic endotoxin, one of several factors that destroys mitochondrial function.

Two Major Types of Bacteria — Oxygen Tolerant and Oxygen Intolerant

A healthy gut with a properly maintained anaerobic environment supports the growth of beneficial oxygen intolerant, such as the keystone species Akkermansia. When the oxygen gradient is disturbed due to insufficient energy production (as seen in metabolically inflexible individuals), it allows pathogenic oxygen tolerant bacteria to proliferate.

These bacteria often produce more virulent endotoxins, also known as lipopolysaccharides (LPS), which can cause inflammation if they translocate across the compromised gut barrier into the systemic circulation. Oxalates indirectly contribute to this scenario by exacerbating mitochondrial dysfunction and reducing cellular energy production.

Colonocytes are the epithelial cells lining the surface of your colon, where they make up the majority — about 80% — of the epithelial cell population. Not only do they serve as the barrier, the actual lining of your gut, but they perform beta oxidation and are involved in the metabolism of short chain fatty acids.

In the process of metabolizing short chain fatty acids, colonocytes consume a significant amount of oxygen, reducing the oxygen levels in your colon. The short chain fatty acids that colonocytes need are produced from the fibers that you eat — typically from healthy foods like vegetables, apples and other fruits.

These fibers nourish both good and bad bacteria, however. if you have a preponderance of pathogenic bacteria, it makes it hard to eat healthy, because eating healthy foods makes you feel worse due to the radical increase in endotoxin, which can kill you.

In my view, the No. 1 cause of death, that exceeds heart disease and cancer, is endotoxemia. Healthy, unprocessed foods are historically all our ancient ancestors had — they didn’t have to deal with processed foods. So, they had a healthy gut and were able to consume high-oxalate foods without a problem.

Once your gut is healthy, consuming dietary oxalate helps you maintain tolerance by feeding sustaining oxalate-degrading bacteria, Foster notes. The key is to consume a healthy amount — neither too much nor too little:8

“Maintaining tolerance by daily consuming some dietary oxalate is important. Ironically, when dietary oxalate intake is lower than fifty milligrams per day, oxalate absorption increases significantly. At the same time, overconsuming high amounts of dietary oxalates, especially in the form of foods like spinach smoothies, can be hazardous.”

As mentioned, you have to have cellular energy to consume high-oxalate foods without issue. But if you don’t have it, then you enter a cascading downhill spiral that gets increasingly worse.

Modern Diets Are the Problem

Foster points out that it’s not dietary oxalates that are the issue, but rather modern diets focused on ultraprocessed foods:9

“Considering escalating diabetes rates and poor American dietary habits, it appears that gut dysbiosis and the overconsumption of industrially ultraprocessed foods are more responsible for oxalate toxicity than the overconsumption of so-called ‘superfoods’ like spinach or sweet potatoes.

Simply put, it is not oxalate-containing foods like spinach that are increasing the production and absorption of oxalate. To address the oxalate problem, we must consider the impact of processed and ultraprocessed industrial foods on gut and kidney health.”

This includes seeds oils, high in omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) like linoleic acid. Foster explains:10

“Overconsumption of industrial seed oils, high in omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), contributes to AGE [advanced glycation end product] production … The fatty acid ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 is a driving factor in kidney disease and many other chronic illnesses.

In the past 30 years, dietary omega-6 consumption has increased in the face of omega-3 deficiency. The ideal ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 is about two to one, but today’s ratio is over 20 to one. Researchers have noted that a ‘USDA egg’ has an omega-6 to omega-3 ratio of about 20:1.

Industrial seed oils and other sources of omega-6 weaken and soften the cell membranes, which enhance oxalate binding to the nephrons and begin crystal formation. Accumulating evidence shows a link between increased consumption of omega-6 fatty acids and kidney stone disease.

In contrast, higher intakes of omega-3 fatty acid (mostly from seafood) protect against the risk of kidney stone formation, CKD [chronic kidney disease] and other degenerative diseases, as evidenced by the diet of traditional Inuit populations, rich in omega-3 fatty acids.”

The addition of excessive amounts of omega-6 fat to the diet via ultraprocessed foods is what catalyzed the now epidemic levels of mitochondrial dysfunction. It caused depletion of colonocytes because of the gradual intrusion and increase in oxygen concentration in the colon that causes this cascade of death in your microbiome.

Glucose (Dextrose) May Offer a Short-Term Solution

In my view, the healthiest fuel for your mitochondria is glucose, not fat, as fat increases reductive stress and slows down the electron transport chain. Some cells, like the colonocytes, thrive on beta oxidation, so do our heart cells. Most cells require glucose, but if you’re following a keto or carnivore diet, you’re likely carb deficient.

There’s a lot of consequences from that, but many people get better on carnivore or keto because they stop eating ultraprocessed foods and feeding these patterns.

In the short-term, however, to get out of this destructive cycle, consider taking glucose, which is more commonly called dextrose. It’s pretty inexpensive — about $5 a pound. Glucose never reaches your colon; it’s all absorbed in your small intestine. Because of that, it avoids the complication of providing fuel to the facultative anaerobes, the pathogenic bacteria that can make endotoxin.

Consuming glucose is preferable to not consuming any carbs, which is highly problematic, in part because your cortisol level goes up. Ultimately, if your body is producing high amounts of cortisol to compensate for the lack of healthy carbs in your diet, this is not a state you want to be in for a prolonged period if you want to live a long and healthy life.

So, if you’re unable to tolerate healthy carbs, try pure glucose for a few weeks. This is especially useful for those who are seriously damaged, who don’t have the capacity to eat virtually any carbohydrates. You can go on a high-dextrose diet until your gut starts to heal. You save more cellular energy, which allows you to introduce more carbs back in to your diet, helping to restore your mitochondrial function.

Fraud in the Probiotics Market

Unfortunately, once you’re lacking cellular energy and your gut health is disrupted, most probiotic supplements on the market are useless, as they’re all fatally flawed. No one has yet figured out how to how to take that raw material and put it in a capsule and get it into your gut. It dies in the meantime. There’s a lot of fraud going on in this area, which I’m going to expose shortly.

Further, no one has yet grown Oxalobacter, but I’ve got a research team on it right now to define the protocol. These bugs are very difficult to grow and require many millions of dollars of investment to identify the specific protocol that causes them to thrive and then to harvest them. Once they’re harvested, you still have the technical challenge of putting them into a capsule in a way that doesn’t kill them.

I’m hoping we’ll have Oxalobacter within a year or two. It’s one of our priorities to get that out because it’s just like a seed to encourage good bacterial growth in your gut. But remember, if you put a seed in the Sahara Desert, and there’s no water, the seed can’t grow. It’s the same with Oxalobacter.

Even if you have the best Oxalobacter supplement in the world, if you put it in most everyone’s gut, nothing’s going to happen because the environment isn’t healthy enough to support it. You have to take care of the foundational causes of the issue first, including resolving mitochondrial dysfunction and an inability to create sufficient cellular energy.

Protecting Your Microbiome Is Key

The health of your microbiome begins even before birth, from conception. This crucial window of development sets the stage for your gut health — a topic Foster says she’d like to expand on in book form:11

“The book that I would like to write is … the first 1000 days. And it is from conception to about age 3, when that whole microbiome is developed … we get our gut colonized at birth … we [once] thought that the baby was born sterile. We now know that babies come out with, I think, 100 different species in the colon, ready to go. And it comes from the mother’s … microbiome.”

However, early antibiotic treatments, lack of breastfeeding and other factors often disrupt gut microbiome early on. At any age, however, promoting a healthy gut microbiome by avoiding ultraprocessed foods and consuming probiotic-rich foods like yogurt, kefir and fermented vegetables can support the growth of beneficial bacteria, including those that can degrade oxalates like Oxalobacter.

Drinking sufficient water is also crucial as it helps to flush out oxalates through your urine and prevents kidney stones from forming. Foster explains that not only is the quality of your drinking water important but the mineral content also matters:12

“Higher mineral content is associated with increased urinary citrate, while lower mineral content is not. Mineral water frequently contains bicarbonate, which is absent in tap water. Gerolsteiner, a naturally sparkling mineral water, is a great source of magnesium and high in bicarbonate. As mentioned, magnesium is a natural stone inhibitor, while bicarbonate increases the excretion of citrate, another important inhibitor.

Mineral water provides the most bioavailable forms of magnesium and calcium. Because they are hydrated (ionic), these minerals are rapidly absorbed. Likewise, raw milk is a valuable source of bioavailable magnesium and calcium. Other liquids to increase hydration can include bone broths, soups, tea (depending on oxalate content) and limited amounts of sour kombucha.”

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Posted by: | Posted on: May 10, 2024

Symptoms of Diverticulitis and How to Treat It


Reproduced from original article:
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2024/05/10/diverticulitis-symptoms.aspx

Analysis by Dr. Joseph Mercola     May 10, 2024

diverticulitis symptoms

STORY AT-A-GLANCE

  • Diverticulitis is an inflammation or infection of small pouches called diverticula that can develop along the walls of your intestines
  • Diverticulitis can cause abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, fever and rectal bleeding
  • More severe cases can lead to serious complications, including abscesses, fistulas and intestinal blockage
  • Restoring your gut microflora and cellular energy production are key to resolving diverticulitis
  • Eating foods that support Akkermansia, such as polyphenol-rich fruit, and other beneficial bacteria, and avoiding linoleic acid, are important for diverticulitis; rectal CO2 insufflation may also help

Diverticulitis is an inflammation or infection of small pouches called diverticula that can develop along the walls of your intestines. The formation of these pouches is known as diverticulosis, a common condition that typically causes few or no symptoms. However, when these pouches become inflamed or infected, it leads to diverticulitis, which can be painful and may lead to serious complications.

Diverticulosis is common in the U.S. and other parts of the world where heavily processed diets are the norm. It’s estimated that 30% of Americans over 50 have diverticulosis, which rises to 50% of those over 60% and 75% in people over 80.1

Most often, the condition affects the sigmoid colon, a section of the large intestine near the end of the digestive tract. Among those with diverticulosis, about 4% develop diverticulitis.2

What Are the Symptoms of Diverticulitis?

You can have diverticulosis and not know it, since it often causes no symptoms. But in the case of diverticulitis, it’s typically a different story. Common symptoms include:3

• Abdominal pain — When diverticula become inflamed, they cause the surrounding tissues in the intestinal wall to also become inflamed. This inflammation can lead to pain that’s typically felt in the lower left side of the abdomen and may be severe.

The pain may also spread to your pelvis and back. In people of Asian descent, diverticulosis may occur more often in the first part of the colon, so diverticulitis in that region may cause pain in the upper right abdomen.4

• Bowel changes — The inflammation associated with diverticulitis can affect the movement of the bowel, leading to disruptions in the normal rhythm of digestion. This can result in constipation or diarrhea, along with bloating and gas. Feelings of fullness can also occur.

• Nausea and vomiting — Gastrointestinal irritation may lead to nausea while increased movement of the intestines in an attempt to expel irritants and bacteria may lead to vomiting. In more severe cases, the inflammation can lead to a partial or complete blockage of the intestine, which can trigger vomiting.

• Fever — When diverticula become inflamed, they can also become infected, usually by bacteria. The fever is a sign that your body is actively fighting an infection.

• Rectal bleeding — As diverticulitis progresses, the inflamed diverticula can cause small blood vessels to stretch and rupture, leading to bleeding. This can result in blood appearing in the stool.

Diverticulitis can be classified as acute, which occurs suddenly and often causes intense abdominal pain, fever and nausea, or chronic, with persistent symptoms due to the ongoing inflammation.

More severe cases can lead to serious complications, which are sometimes the first sign of the disease. Each year, about 200,000 people are hospitalized due to diverticulitis, while 71,000 are hospitalized with diverticular bleeding.5 Complications may include:6

  • Abscesses
  • Perforation, or a hole, in your colon
  • Fistulas, an abnormal tunnel between your colon and another area of the body, such as your bladder
  • Intestinal blockages
  • Peritonitis, an infection of the abdominal cavity

What Causes Diverticulitis?

Certain genes may increase your risk of diverticulitis, but lifestyle factors also play a role, including:7

  • Eating ultraprocessed foods
  • Inactivity
  • Using certain medications, including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and steroids
  • Obesity
  • Smoking

While a number of factors contribute to diverticulitis, a disrupted microbiome and eating a highly processed, low-fiber diet are chief among them. Dietary fiber is crucial for maintaining a healthy digestive system. It helps to bulk up your stool and softens it, making it easier to pass through the colon. This reduces the strain and pressure in your colon during bowel movements.

When your diet lacks sufficient fiber, your stools become harder and smaller, requiring your colon to exert more pressure to move them along. This increased pressure can cause your colon’s muscular wall to develop weak spots.

Over time, the continuous pressure may force the inner lining of your colon through these weak spots in the muscle layer, forming diverticula. Further, a diet low in fiber keeps the intra-colonic pressure elevated because of the harder, smaller stools and the greater effort needed to expel them.

This sustained high pressure is believed to not only contribute to the formation of diverticula but also increase the risk of these diverticula becoming inflamed or infected, leading to diverticulitis. As noted in Cureus:8

“Many theories have been suggested for the different etiologies of diverticular disease, and the most common cause is believed to be a low-fiber diet. It is believed that diets low in fibers are associated with increased intra-colonic pressure, which leads to diverticula formation.”

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Diverticulitis Linked to Gut Microbiome Composition

Researchers with Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in collected stool samples from 121 women with severe diverticulitis and compared them to stool samples from 121 women without the condition.9 They conducted a detailed analysis of the overall microbial community structures and metabolomic profiles in the collected samples, revealing significant differences between the groups.

Women with diverticulitis had more pro-inflammatory agents such as the microbe Ruminococcus gnavus, 1,7-dimethyluric acid and various histidine-related metabolites. There was also a notable depletion of butyrate-producing bacteria, which are known for their anti-inflammatory properties, as well as a reduction in anti-inflammatory ceramides.

The study highlighted how microbial composition may influence the protective association between a fiber-rich diet and diverticulitis, suggesting that dietary fiber’s protective effects can be significantly altered by a person’s existing gut microbiota composition. A review published in the Journal of Personalized Medicine further described gut microbiota’s potential role in diverticulitis, noting:10

“Changes in microbiota composition have been observed in patients who were developing acute diverticulitis, with a reduction of taxa with anti-inflammatory activity, such as Clostridium cluster IV, Lactobacilli and Bacteroides.

Recent observations supported that a dysbiosis characterized by decreased presence of anti-inflammatory bacterial species might be linked to mucosal inflammation, and a vicious cycle results from a mucosal inflammation driving dysbiosis at the same time.

An alteration in gut microbiota can lead to an altered activation of nerve fibers, and subsequent neuronal and muscular dysfunction, thus favoring abdominal symptoms’ development.”

Restoring Your Gut Microflora and Cellular Energy Production Are Key

Dysbiosis, or an imbalance of microbial communities, in your gut plays a central role in the development of diverticulitis.11 A balanced gut microbiota helps reduce inflammation in the colon. Certain beneficial bacteria produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) like butyrate, which have anti-inflammatory properties. These SCFAs help maintain the health of the colon lining and prevent inflammation that can lead to diverticulitis.

A robust intestinal barrier can also prevent bacterial fragments from entering your bloodstream, whereas a compromised barrier allows these harmful fragments through while blocking SCFAs. However, most people have dysfunctional mitochondria, and if you don’t have enough mitochondria, you can’t create cellular energy efficiently enough to ensure a healthy gastrointestinal tract.

Your gut contains primarily two types of gram-negative bacteria: beneficial and pathogenic. The beneficial ones include obligate anaerobes, which cannot survive in the presence of oxygen and are essential for health. They do not produce harmful endotoxins and contribute positively by producing SCFAs like butyrate, propionate and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1).

Proper gut function requires energy to maintain an oxygen-free environment in the large intestine, where 99% of gut microbes reside. Insufficient energy leads to oxygen leakage, which harms obligate anaerobes while not impacting the facultative anaerobes, thereby disrupting the balance of the microbiome.

Pathogenic bacteria, or facultative anaerobes, can survive in oxygen and are harmful, as they possess endotoxins in their cell walls. In short, enhancing mitochondrial energy production is crucial for maintaining a healthy gut environment. When you do that, it helps suppress the growth of pathogenic bacteria and support beneficial microbial populations, which in turns reduces your risk of diverticulitis.

Widespread use of antibiotics can also disrupt the microbiome by killing both beneficial and harmful bacteria, leading to a dominance of pathogenic bacteria which produce harmful endotoxins. Optimizing your mitochondrial function is, however, one of the most important strategies you can do to optimize your cellular energy, so it’s at the core of almost everything that you do to improve your health.

How to Restructure Your Microbiome

Akkermansia, highly beneficial bacteria in your large intestine, plays a crucial role in maintaining gut health and should constitute about 10% of the gut microbiome. However, it is absent in many individuals, likely due to inadequate mitochondrial function and resultant oxygen leakage in the gut.

Eating foods that support Akkermansia, such as polyphenol-rich fruit, and other beneficial bacteria, and avoiding foods like linoleic acid — found in vegetable and seed oils in most processed foods — that destroy these bacteria, will help to restructure your microbiome in a positive way. You can also use an Akkermansia probiotic supplement.

One of the reasons Akkermansia is so important is because it produces mucin, a thick, protective gel-like substance that lines various parts of the body, including the gastrointestinal tract. Mucin forms a protective barrier on the gut lining, shielding the epithelial cells of the intestinal wall from mechanical damage, chemical irritation from stomach acids and digestive enzymes, and pathogenic organisms like bacteria and viruses.

Mucin also supports the immune system by trapping potential pathogens and other foreign particles, which are then expelled from the body through the digestive process. It also contains antibodies and antimicrobial peptides that help fight off infections.

Lastly, mucin serves as a food source for other beneficial gut bacteria. This relationship is essential for digestive health, as the bacteria fed by Akkermansia aid in digestion, produce essential nutrients and help maintain an overall balance of gut flora.

Increasing CO2 Likely Beneficial

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a driver of energy production, as it improves the delivery of oxygen into your cells. While CO2 is typically thought of as nothing more than a harmful waste product of respiration, and a “pollutant” that endangers the planet, the reality is that it’s essential for most life on Earth. In fact, CO2 appears to be a more fundamental component of living matter than oxygen.12

“Really, every condition you can think of, both physiological and mental, can be remediated, and in many cases cured, by increasing endogenous CO2 production and decreasing degradation,” Georgi Dinkov says.

Importantly, CO2 allows for more efficient energy production in your mitochondria, which is why people who live or spend time at higher altitudes tend to be healthier and have fewer chronic health problems such as asthma. The reason for this is because the pressure of CO2 relative to oxygen is greater at higher altitudes.

In order to have sufficient CO2 production, you need healthy mitochondria, because CO2 is produced exclusively in the Krebs cycle in the mitochondria. If you have mitochondrial dysfunction, if you’re hypothyroid or have high levels of inflammation, as is the case in diverticulitis, then you will not be producing enough CO2.

While it’s important to optimize your endogenous (internal) production of CO2, exogenous delivery or supplementation will produce the greatest benefits, as you can deliver far greater amounts than your body can produce. Such strategies include:

  • Breathing into a paper bag
  • Drinking carbonated water and other carbonated beverages
  • CO2 baths
  • A special suit into which CO2 is pumped
  • Taking small amounts of baking soda in your drinking water

A book written in 1905 by Achilles Rose, M.D. discusses delivery by rectal insufflation. During rectal CO2 insufflation, a small tube or catheter is inserted into the rectum, and a controlled amount of CO2 is gently infused. This is a highly effective way to deliver CO2.

I am currently in the process of setting up an IRB (Institutional Review Board) approved study that will be exploring the therapeutic value of administering CO2 gas rectally to reverse the damage caused by decades of excess LA consumption that caused a radical decrease in mitochondrial function and cellular energy production resulting in a compromised oxygen gradient differential in the large intestine that allows pathogenic bacteria to become squatters and occupy the spaces of the obligate anaerobic species like Akkermansia that provide benefits and do not produce toxic endotoxin.

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